The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is a large citizen science event covering cities around the globe. It was first held in 2016 by the California Academy of Sciences and Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. This is a competition that brings cities from around the world together. Citizens of participating cities record local wildlife with the free app iNaturalist. After species identification, the city that records the greatest number of species will win the competition. Data collected during the competition would contribute to the global biodiversity database and assist scientists in ecological research.
After 2023, OWLHK will continue to be the volunteer city organizer for the City Nature Challenge 2024 (Hong Kong Region). This year’s competition period will be on 26-29 April, 2024, and the uploading and ID Period is going to be 30 April-5 May, 2024. Besides, the result will be announced on 6 May, 2024.
How to participate
- Download the free iNaturalist mobile app and register an account.
- Within the competition period, explore wild animals and plants in the Hong Kong area and take good quality photos.
- Upload the photos of wildlife to iNaturalist and fill in information such as location and date. (Observation records made from 26-29 April 2024 will be automatically included in the Hong Kong CNC project.)
- Species identification: wildlife, including native and non-native species in Hong Kong.
- The observation records will be identified from 30 April to 5 May 2024 and the results will be announced on 6 May 2024.
- Let’s take part in the competition and strive for the championship for Hong Kong!
For more information, please visit the Hong Kong City Nature Challenge website.
Notes
- Please do not submit photos of selfies, pets, indoor or outdoor potted plants, as it may affect the authenticity and accuracy of the database.
- Protect and preserve nature, please try to reduce your interference with the environment, animals and plants during the competition.